Chapter 1281: Chapter 766: Comparison
The ancient and grand Taiyi Hall welcomed tens of thousands of guests today.
The eight Golden Dragons supporting the dome of the main hall shone with Golden Light at the same time, illuminating the vast hall until it glittered with splendor.
The layered Golden Light was further divided into section after section, and on each section was written the name of a Sect.
The Central Province has several thousand Cultivation Sects with proper lineages, and all of these Sects receive invitations to the Tri-Element Dharma Assembly to join the Dao debate.
Even if each Sect only has ten spots, that still adds up to tens of thousands of people.
Sects like Ten Sufferings Temple, those top-tier Major Sects, send several hundred people to the Assembly.
The Tri-Element Dharma Assembly runs continuously for a hundred days, during which each Sect can take the stage to lecture on the Dao.
Of course, only Earth Immortals are qualified to preach and propagate the Dao.
Cultivators below Earth Immortal go on stage just to spar and compete, using Daoist Skill and Divine Techniques to determine victory and defeat, honing their own cultivation.
Generally speaking, Earth Immortal Level experts don’t step onto the stage to compete.
All in all, the Tri-Element Dharma Assembly is actually meant to strengthen ties between Sects and cultivate the new generation of Cultivators.
This was also the purpose for which the Earth Element Daoist Monarch created the Tri-Element Dharma Assembly.
Li Xiulian dragged Yue Honglian all around the hall, mainly to look around at the various Sects.
It was the first time either of them had attended the Tri-Element Dharma Assembly, the first time seeing so many Cultivators from so many Sects, and they were both quite excited.
Since Li Xiulian didn’t really understand much either, she had pulled the White Ape Lord along this time.
The White Ape Lord might be an Earth Immortal Level Demon Emperor, and he had indeed been dwelling in the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect these years. But he spent most of his time running all over the Central Province.
The White Ape Lord’s own cultivation was high, and those truly stronger than him among Earth Immortals could be counted on one hand. All those powerful Earth Immortals knew the White Ape Lord was a friend of Yuan Qinglian; even if you want to beat the monkey, you still have to look at its owner.
So the White Ape Lord moved through the Central Province like a fish in water, making friends everywhere. And fighting everywhere.
With the Tri-Element Dharma Assembly so lively, the White Ape Lord naturally wouldn’t miss it.
Yue Honglian was the youngest, her temperament a bit lively and unrestrained, and her Swordsmanship just happened to be sharp as well. She often dealt with the White Ape Lord.
This time she had dragged the White Ape Lord along to have him introduce these Sects.
The White Ape Lord had been mixing around the Central Province for several thousand years and knew the situation of all the Major Sects like the back of his hand.
He was also happy to join in the fun with Yue Honglian.
"See that? That group of women in five-colored clothes, flitting around like butterflies—that’s the Butterfly Immortal Sect. Their Magic is all fancy bells and whistles; as long as you watch out for their Enchanting Fragrance, you’ll be fine. The truly formidable one is their Sect Leader, Fairy Meng Die. Illusory dreamscapes that swap false for true—she’s very formidable. Not much worse than your master, really formidable..."
"Those holding black banners are from the Profound Yin Sect, a bunch of people fiddling with Ghost Souls, nothing good among them. The ones with gold and silver headbands are the Celestial Travel Sect—though they’re a Buddhist Sect, they’re the most belligerent."
"That bunch riding Flying Tigers is the Beast Taming Sect. The ones playing with bugs are the Wanbao Sect. Those with long sabers on their backs are the Blood Saber Sect. And that flock of seductive, coquettish women is the Heartless Mansion..."
The White Ape Lord was indeed well-traveled and knowledgeable; there wasn’t anyone he didn’t recognize.
With the White Ape Lord’s commentary, Li Xiulian and Yue Honglian got a very intuitive sense of this crowd of unfamiliar Cultivators.
Yue Honglian asked curiously, "Old Bai, with so many Sects in the Central Province, who are the famous prodigies?"
The White Ape Lord chuckled, "Geniuses? There are always some. Hua Feiye, Lu Buqun, Ye Changming, the Celestial Fragrance Sword, and so on—these are all extraordinarily outstanding geniuses from the last few thousand years. People generally think they’re guaranteed to become Earth Immortals."
"Just those?"
Yue Honglian was a bit disappointed. "I haven’t heard of a single one. Besides, proving the Dao as an Earth Immortal doesn’t count as that much of a genius, does it?"
"Hahahahaha..."
The White Ape Lord burst out laughing. "Girl, those words of yours would offend countless Cultivators. There are billions upon billions of Cultivators under heaven, and yet there are only a little over a thousand Earth Immortals. If proving the Dao as an Earth Immortal doesn’t count as genius, what else is worthy of being called genius?"
Yue Honglian also felt she hadn’t expressed herself clearly. Indeed, Earth Immortals were the strongest among billions upon billions of living beings; their wisdom, capability, and disposition were all top tier.
But in her view, only those who had a chance to reach the position her master now stood at could be called geniuses.
There were quite a few people around who heard the two of them talking, and some of them now looked at Yue Honglian with a somewhat peculiar gaze.
However, once these Cultivators saw the Cyan Lotus emblem on Yue Honglian’s Sword Robe, they immediately withdrew their gazes, and the expressions on their faces shifted at once.
The Earth Element Daoist Monarch might well be number one in the world, but the one person on this earth you absolutely don’t want to provoke is undoubtedly Yuan Qinglian. Moreover, Yuan Qinglian is famously unreasonable.
All Cultivators attending the Assembly have had their elders repeatedly stress that they absolutely must not provoke the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect.
Once they realized Yue Honglian’s true identity, no one dared voice their real feelings anymore.
Yue Honglian curled her lip, looking down on these Cultivators a bit. So timid and cowardly—what Dao are they even cultivating?
Li Xiulian tugged Yue Honglian, signaling her to mind her words and actions and not be too sharp-edged.
The Cyan Lotus Sword Sect might not fear trouble, but there was no need to come across as overly domineering.
After all, this was the Tri-Element Dharma Assembly, with Sects from across the Central Province gathered here. If they acted too overbearing, people might not dare speak out now, but once they went back they would inevitably badmouth the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect.
Right now the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect’s reputation was already not very pleasant. Everyone thought the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect was rude and unreasonable. But in fact, the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect never bullies others by relying on its power.
Li Xiulian felt she needed to use her actions to dispel outsiders’ misunderstandings of them, and she told Yue Honglian, "They’re all fellow Daoists; there’s no need to be like this."
The White Ape Lord grinned, baring his teeth. "Why bother caring about this trash? Billions upon billions of Cultivators—if they don’t become Earth Immortals, they’re just ants. These Cultivators will sooner or later turn to dust in the river of time, leaving behind no trace at all..."
Li Xiulian fell silent. What the White Ape Lord said wasn’t wrong, but in her ears, it sounded unbearably harsh.
Comments